FROM THE HILL: Dockery publishes new book on Christian worldview; Ross proposes ‘radical reevaluation’ of youth ministry; McCoy examines Hebrew anthropology and gender

“From the Hill” is a regular series highlighting the work of The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s faculty. Check back here regularly to find articles, blogs, podcasts, interviews, and more.

• “Preaching in Church Revitalization” (interview with RevTalks), by David Allen, dean of the School of Preaching

“In this episode Dr. Allen shares how to preach well for revitalization.”

• “The Holy Spirit’s Work in Worship: Extraordinary Experience or Disciplined Formation?” (article in Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal), by Scott Aniol, associate professor of church music and worship

“Truly Spirit-led worship is that in which the forms, elements, and content are shaped, guided, and filled with the Spirit-inspired Word for the purpose of the disciplined spiritual formation of his people.”

• “Worship That Cannot Be Touched: A Theology of Christian Worship from the Book of Hebrews” (article in Journal of IRBS Theological Seminary), by Scott Aniol

“Believers from the earliest years of Christianity … struggled with how to reconcile the transition between Jewish worship and Christian worship. The book of Hebrews functions as the NT’s supreme answer to this challenging dilemma.”

• “Christian Worldview Handbook” (book), co-edited by David S. Dockery, distinguished professor of theology

“Guided by general editors David S. Dockery and Trevin K. Wax, this handbook is an invaluable resource and study tool that will help you to discuss, defend, and clearly share with others the truth, hope, and practical compatibility of Christianity in everyday life.”

• “Notable Books for 2019: A Brief Survey of Some of Last Year’s Best Christian Books” (article in Christianity Today), by David S. Dockery

“Frankly, publishers seemed to have released more quality works in 2019 than in recent years. It would have been quite easy to make this lengthy list even longer than is already the case. … Still, I trust you will find the list helpful.”

• “Fairness for All Act: We remain unconvinced” (article in The Christian Post), by David S. Dockery and Carl E. Zylstra

“We consider many of the supporters of FFA to be good and long-time friends, but we remain unconvinced that FFA is the right option for the Christian community.”

• “What’s Ahead for the Church in 2020: A BreakPoint Symposium” (article on BreakPoint.org), David S. Dockery, contributor

“Christians must think about what it means to be a cognitive minority, to live as strangers and aliens in this world (1 Pet. 2:11).”

• “Bound Pronominal Objects in Biblical Hebrew: Clarification and Critique” (article in Journal of Semitic Studies), by Ethan Jones, assistant professor of Old Testament

“This article builds on the ideas of W.R. Garr who argues persuasively that bound pronominal objects are highly topical, patientive and central to predication. … In his argument, Garr assumes that prepositional phrases are non-obligatory participants (adjuncts). My analysis refutes his assumption about prepositional phrases yet shows his argument for bound pronominal objects still holds.”

• “Advocating for the Ministries of Single Women in Your Church” (article for 9Marks), by Katie McCoy, assistant professor of theology in women’s studies

“Women in the corporate world have observed that their ability to flourish in their field requires more than a mentor. They need a sponsor, someone in their sphere who champions their potential and helps create opportunities for them to excel.”

• “Recovering the Communion of Persons: How Hebrew Anthropology Counters Aristotelian Thought Concerning Male and Female Roles” (article on CBMW.org), by Katie McCoy

“The belief that Scripture relegates women to a lesser role is not a mere misunderstanding of its teachings. Rather, it expresses a false equivalence, one that hinges on a categorically incongruent philosophy and misrepresents Scripture’s intent.”

• “A Reevaluation of Gezer in the Late Bronze Age in light of Renewed Excavations and Recent Scholarship” (chapter in The Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages of Southern Canaan), by Steven M. Ortiz and Samuel Wolff

“The fourteen papers in this volume represent the proceedings of a conference held at Bar-Ilan University in 2014, which provide both overviews of Late Bronze Age finds from several important sites in Israel and surrounding countries, as well as several synthetic studies on the various issues relating to the period.”

• “FIRST-PERSON: Time for ‘radical reevaluation’ of youth ministry” (article on Baptist Press), by Richard Ross, professor of student ministry

“While I celebrate all that has been done, I believe the current model of youth ministry is hopelessly flawed in several ways. … [W]e must face the truth that the current approach to youth ministry is just not working very well.”

• “Profiles of Faithfulness: Legacy Servants of The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary” (book), foreword by Gregory A. Wills, research professor of church history and Baptist heritage

“This is a book of remembrance. It recalls lives spent in faithful service to establish and sustain The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Remembering is fundamental to living a faithful life. Throughout the Scriptures, God commanded His people to remember and not to forget.”